Dyticonastis

Genus of reptiles

Dyticonastis
Temporal range: Late Oligocene - Early Miocene
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Rhineuridae
Genus: Dyticonastis
Berman, 1976
Type species
Dyticonastis rensbergeri
Berman, 1976

Dyticonastis is an extinct genus of amphisbaenians, or worm lizards, that includes a single species, Dyticonastis rensbergeri, that lived during the late Oligocene and early Miocene in what is now Oregon. Fossils of the species come from the John Day Formation. It belongs to Rhineuridae, a family that includes many other extinct North American amphisbaenians but only one living species, Rhineura floridana, from Florida. Dyticonastis rensbergeri occurs the farthest west of all rhineurid species. Like all rhineurids, Dyticonastis has a shovel-like snout adapted for burrowing underground, but it differs from most other members of the group in having a relatively shallow angle to its snout wedge (about 30 degrees) and in having a widened snout tip. The only other rhineurids that share these features are species of the genus Spathorhynchus, which lived from the Middle Eocene to the Early Oligocene in what is now Wyoming. A 2007, phylogenetic analysis of amphisbaenians found that Dyticonastis and Spathorhynchus are each other's closest relatives, suggesting that both taxa may have evolved through vicariant speciation; the growth of the Rocky Mountains during the earliest stages of the Laramide orogeny in the early Paleogene would have separated North American rhineurids into eastern and western populations, with the western population producing Dyticonastis and Spathorhynchus.[1]

References

  1. ^ Hembree, D.I. (2007). "Phylogenetic revision of Rhineuridae (Reptilia: Squamata: Amphisbaenia) from the Eocene to Miocene of North America". The University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions. 15: 1–20.
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Extinct squamate genera
Acrodonta
Agamidae
Pleurodonta / Iguanoidea
Corytophanidae
Gobiguania
Iguanidae
Phrynosomatidae
Other extinct iguanians
Arretosauridae
  • Arretosaurus
  • Dornosaurus
  • Ergiliinsaurus
  • Khaichinguana
Priscagamidae
Armandisaurus explorator
Chamopsiidae
Gilmoreteiidae / "macrocephalosaurines"
"Polyglyphanodontines"
Other polyglyphanodontians
  • Adamisaurus
  • Funiusaurus
  • Gobinatus
  • Obamadon
  • Olindalacerta?
  • Paleochelco?
  • Peneteius
  • Tchingisaurus
  • Tianyusaurus
  • Tijubina?
  • Tripennaculus
Scincogekkonomorpha
Scleroglossa
Gekkonomorpha
Gekkota
Stem Autarchoglossa
(Evansauria)
  • Parmeosaurus
  • Tepexisaurus
  • Tijubina?
Bainguidae?
Cordyloidea
  • Eocordyla
  • Ornatocephalus
  • Sakurasaurus
Lacertoidea
Amphisbaenia
  • Oligodontosaurus
  • Todrasaurus
Amphisbaenidae
Bipedidae
Blanidae
  • Blanosaurus
  • Cuvieribaena
  • Louisamphisbaena
Chthonophidae
Rhineuridae
Polyodontobaenidae
  • Polyodontobaena
Contogeniidae
  • Contogenys
  • Palaeoscincosaurus
  • Utahgenys
Lacertidae
  • Amblyolacerta
  • Camptognathosaurus?
  • Dormaalisaurus
  • Dracaenosaurus
  • Escampcerta
  • Gracilicerta
  • Ligerosaurus
  • Maioricalacerta
  • Mediolacerta
  • Plesiolacerta
  • Pseudeumeces
  • Pseudolacerta
  • Quercycerta
Teiidae
Barbatteiidae
Xantusiidae
Scincoidea
Scincidae
Other scincomorphs
Paramacellodidae
Basal anguimorphs
Mosasauroidea?
Neoanguimorpha
Carusioidea
Xenosauridae
  • Entomophontes
  • Exostinus
  • Restes
Anguidae
Anguinae
Diploglossinae
  • Apodosauriscus
  • Eodiploglossus
Gerrhonotinae
  • Paragerrhonotus
  • Parophisaurus
Glyptosaurinae
Paleoanguimorpha
Basal varanoids / platynotans
Shinisauria?
Goannasauria
Basal Goannasaurians
Varanoidea
Lanthanotidae
Varanidae
Other platynotans / varanoids
Aigialosaurus dalmaticus

Plioplatecarpus primaevus Estesia mongoliensis Telmasaurus grangeri

Varanus priscus
Indeterminate squamates
Taxon identifiers
Dyticonastis


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